Sunday, September 27, 2009

Fox Host/Guest Dismiss Concerns Flu Vaccines Autism Controversy

Fox News morning host interview of guest discussing the controversy over the swine flu vaccine stated it's unproven there is any relationship between flu vaccines given to children and autism...

The guest didn't challenge and said parents have to weigh the "risks" of a vaccine and the potential benefits of the vaccine.

Host then cited many celebrity parents who warn about dangers of flu vaccines and autism. Are they to be believed, or listened to regarding flu vaccines

Guest replied listen to your doctor not celebrities...

Unfortuately, the pair made it seem as though celebrities who raise concerns about flu vaccines for children are to be taken with a grain of salt, just because they are celebrities.

Last time we checked, celebrities have as many rights as anyone else and in particular have the right to want all of the facts and information about medical products as the rest of us.

Unfortunately, Fox News did not do the public a service by having guests on who might have included any celebrity parents or doctors who might have supported claims of potential connection regarding autism and a preservative known as "thimerosal" contained in children vaccines of the past.

Our site only wants the truth, and Fox News didn't provide a balance on the controversy surrounding flu vaccines containing "thimerosal" for children and pregnant women.

Of course, medical decisions are best made by the consumers and parents should have all of the factual information they can acquire and make decisions based on as much information as possible.

Fox News hasn't given us a balance of information, hopefully that will be corrected in follow-up segments...

the following are all for informational purposes only

Net the Truth Online

Allegheny General physician to work on study of swine flu vaccineBy Allison M. HeinrichsPublication: Pittsburgh Tribune ReviewDate: Friday, September 11 2009 You are viewing page 2 An Allegheny General Hospital physician will weigh in on a national clinical trial that began Thursday to determine the safety and potency of H1N1 swine flu vaccine for pregnant women.

Dr. Sharon Kiely, medical director of quality and patient safety at Allegheny General, will help analyze the rush results of the clinical trial, meant to protect pregnant women and unborn babies, both of whom are among the most vulnerable to the novel flu strain. The vaccine is expected to be released to all pregnant women and other priority groups by mid-October.

"Pregnant women do have a higher incidence of hospitalization with the flu," said Kiely, a member of the advisory council to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "If you get into the hospital, then you must be very sick, and obviously pregnancy is a vulnerable time in a woman's life. You want to do everything you can to protect the woman and her unborn child."

Though pregnant women make up 1 percent of the population, they account for 6 percent of swine flu hospitalizations. Their compromised immune systems make them more susceptible to any disease, and their lungs and hearts are under added stress from pregnancy, said Dr. Tony Fauci, director of the institute.

"It's very important for pregnant women to take very seriously any illness they get during this flu season," Fauci said.

Other groups who will get first access to the swine flu shot include health care workers, people 6 months to 24 years old, caretakers of babies younger than 6 months, and adults ages 25 through 64 with underlying medical conditions, such as diabetes.

The vaccine is made with a dead, inactive virus, so people cannot get swine flu from the shot, Kiely said. It doesn't include thimerosal, a preservative that can cause an allergic reaction and that some believe is associated with autism, though no convincing scientific evidence exists of such a link. The vaccine manufacturing process and the formulation is similar to that of the seasonal flu shot.

A total of 120 healthy women who are 14 to 34 weeks pregnant and 18 to 39 years old will enroll in the clinical trial at six medical centers nationwide: St. Louis University; Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.; Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville; Baylor College of Medicine in Houston; Scott and White Memorial Hospital in Temple, Texas, and Group Health Cooperative Center for Health Studies in Seattle.

Health experts are warning about the serious long term effects of a vaccine expected to become available within the next few months that would combat Swine Flu, a virus associated with more than 430 deaths this year.

Doses of the vaccine could contain two controversial compounds: thimerosal and squalene, said Peter McCarthy, chair of the Texas Health Freedom Coalition, a natural health lobbyist organization.

A growing number of scientists and researchers believe that a relationship between the increase in cases of autism, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, and speech or language delay and the increased use of mercury-containing thimerosal in vaccines is plausible and deserves more scrutiny, according to the National Autism Association.

According to the association, the U.S. Department of Education data from 1992-1993 in comparison to 2000-2001 indicates that there has been an a 644 percent increase in autism cases among all U.S. children.

McCarthy said thimerosal has been included in the H1N1 vaccine despite protests by public health officials.

“It’s the same path that’s been trod multiple times before,” McCarthy said. “Why are we including a compound that includes mercury?”

But the risks associated with Swine Flu far surpass those associated with the vaccine, making the vaccination a necessity, said Dr. Pat Crocker, emergency medicine chief at Dell Children’s Hospital.

“All in all, even if the severity of the illness doesn’t get any worse than it is now, and it’s still a relatively mild illness, you’re still better off getting the vaccine than not,” Crocker said. “Even when you consider the side effects, you’re several times safer getting the vaccine, particular if you’re 24 years and younger.”

McCarthy said squalene, another compound included in the vaccine, contains aluminum.

Overexposure to squalene, which already exists in the human body, could potentially lead to autoimmune disorders, said Matt Baral, an associate professor at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine.

Swine flu vaccines - the case against them By Alia Almoayed, Posted on Tuesday, September 29, 2009

http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=260781

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The Great Vaccine Debate: Why Some Parents Just Say No The arguments on both sidesThe arguments on both sidesStepping up research efforts; parents' rightsVaccination precautions

Vaccine additives include a number of potentially toxic substances, including formaldehyde and 2-phenoxyethanol (both known carcinogens), aluminum (associated with asthma, seizure disorders, and cognitive dysfunction), and monosodium glutamate (associated with neurological effects). Thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, was removed from most childhood vaccines in 2001. For many years, parents of autistic children have believed that it was thimerosal in vaccines (particularly the MMR vaccine) that precipitated autism in their children. While the CDC maintains that there is no convincing scientific evidence of harm caused by the low doses of thimerosal in vaccines, Public Health Service agencies, the AAP, and vaccine manufacturers agreed in 1999 that thimerosal should be reduced or eliminated in vaccines as a precautionary measure. However, it is still used in flu shots, tetanus boosters, the hepatitis B vaccine, and the meningitis vaccine, to name a few...

Back to Top | Article OutlineARTICLE IN BRIEF✓ A current legal challenge by parents alleging that the thimerosal in the MMR vaccine caused autism in their children is compared to an earlier case involving the 1976 swine flu vaccine and Guillain-Barré syndrome.

After more than a decade of controversy, parents of autistic children who blame mandatory vaccines for causing or exacerbating pre-existing neurological symptoms are finally getting their day in court.On June 11, the US Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C., began three weeks of proceedings to hear arguments on both sides of the issue - whether parents should be awarded compensation for their autistic symptoms they charge were caused by the mumps, measles, and rubella (MMR) vaccine - part of the standard immunization package required for school admission.

A special court's Thursday ruling that no proven link exists between autism and certain early childhood vaccines seems to have done little to change the sometimes-passionate opinion fueling the debate.

Amanda Guyton, a mother of a 6-year-old boy with autism, was "incredibly happy" with the decision and said it reaffirmed her belief that her son's autism has nothing to do with vaccines.

"We're ready for them to get on real research like educational strategies and help for kids," she said. "An awful lot of money and effort and time were spent on vaccines when three or four studies said no, there isn't a link."

Meanwhile, John Best, the father of a 12-year-old boy with autism, said: "The whole thing stinks."

Guyton and Best were not involved in the cases, but were following the news because of their interest in autism.

Three families -- the Cedillos, the Hazlehursts and the Snyders -- had sought damage awards from the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program for their children who have autism, a disorder that the parents contend was triggered by the vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella combined with vaccines containing thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative. Watch Campbell Brown's take on the controversy »

The panel of "special masters" ruled that these petitioners had not presented sufficient evidence to prove that the childhood vaccines caused autism in their children.

A vocal segment of autism parents has contended that childhood vaccinations recommended by the government cause the disorder. Health agencies and the scientific community have disputed that notion. In defending its conclusion that no link exists, the Institute of Medicine cited five large studies that have failed to prove any connection between autism and thimerosal and 14 large studies finding no link between the MMR vaccine and autism.

Our commitment has been to provide viewers with an effort to find truth on a variety of public policy issues, and relay findings, to expand a base of knowledge for viewer information and opinion-forming, no matter one's political affiliation.

We see danger for us all on three fronts:

An announced potential for a global financial crisis and projected global currency, global government, and new world order.

A coming to fruition plan for some 34 states to propose a uniform amendment or amendments to the U.S. Constitution which may automatically present an Article V Convention.

An organized effort by populists to support state legislatures to call an Article V Convention for any number of reasons.

We continue to work to present the kind of information to convince viewers to be ever vigilant. No matter whom we cite on our pages, when we find groups, organizations, political Parties, or notable individuals in support of any one of the above, we are wary, no matter if we agree on other issues of importance.

We have for instance cited Judge Napolitano's Freedom series on the Constitution broadcast on Fox Nation, yet we remain strongly wary of him due to his stated position to encourage Tea Party participants and others to push state legislatures to adopt a resolution to call for a 2nd Convention.

We cannot stress how important it is for your objection to be heard to your own state's legislature and Governor. According to tracking results from some notables including DeWeese and Gary Kreeps - barring it may be ruled previous resolutions adopted by an individual state and already on the formal-call list are voided due to non-uniformity or outdatedness - there may already be some 31 or 32 potentially valid Convention Calls.

34 state resolutions are the magic number which will initiate, basically automatically, a call for convening an Article V Convention.

This site also notes an essay by Gary Kreep, co-founder of the United States Justice Foundation. He too notes how very close an automatic Constitutional Convention call is given factors that even include some states' attempts to rescind former calls.

We also note an article by Kelleigh Nelson Saving the Republic Part 3 which disputes an automatic call is only some two states away. We also note Nelson's reference to a book we also have in our files which is among the best we've read.

Constitution In Crisis Joan Collins and Ken Hill

We'll list other material relied upon to come to the conclusion that despite how many states in actuality have standing convention calls, action is paramount today to thwart a potential gathering storm for support such as Rand Paul's and Judge Andrew Napalitano's.

Our hope is to be among those who continue to warn it is imperative a 2nd Constitutional Convention never happen. The mechanism for Congress to act on presenting its own Amendment or Amendments to the Constitution is already in place. The normal route has not been used all that much because it is known the Amendment or Amendments which are then ratified by the next step - states ratification process - will stand as an alteration of the U.S. Constitution unless and until a subsequent Congress mounts a similar process to repeal the Amendment.

So many others have long-standing in noting the absolute dangers of an Article V Convention.

Among them:

Phyllis Schlafly

McManus

John Birch Society

World Net Daily

We do not claim support with the named on every issue.

It is crucial we, the people of the United States prevent our representatives from enacting any measures that take away U.S. sovereignty and curb or curtail individual and unalienable rights.

You can help by becoming informed and using the power of the pen to attempt to convince such as Rand Paul and Judge Andrew Napolitano of these noted dangers of an Article V Constitutional Convention.

Climatologist Skeptic James Spann

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